


Don't touch me

by StryderMel



Category: Game Grumps
Genre: A little bit of fluff, Alternate Universe - High School, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Hate to Love, High School AU, M/M, Swearing, Underage Drinking, a lot of swearing, holly x ross in later chapters, probably smut in later chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-04
Updated: 2018-04-06
Packaged: 2018-04-30 00:56:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 11
Words: 13,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5144387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StryderMel/pseuds/StryderMel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arin and Dan hate each other.<br/>More than anything, they would love to never see each other again. But that is impossible, because 1: they go to the same school and 2: their mothers are totally besties.</p><p>Egobang High School AU :)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Koi No Yokan](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4714853) by [WishingOnWhishaw](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WishingOnWhishaw/pseuds/WishingOnWhishaw). 



It was a cold fall morning. Arin walked down the street, heading for school. Everyday his friends would ask him why he went to school and didn’t take the bus, and every day he answers the same thing: Because Dan Avidan drives the same bus.

They’ve known each other since they were kids, their mothers being best friends since high school themselves, so, of course, their sons would have to be, too. But, no. Arin would never befriend the asshole that is Leigh Daniel Avidan.

Of course they played with each other when they were kids and of course he had some good memories with the guy, but ever since they started high school, something between them snapped. Maybe it was Dan’s best friend Brian, maybe it was Arin’s friends. He didn’t know and he honestly didn’t care. He was much better off without him.

As Arin approached the school, he saw his three friends standing in a little _circle_ , if you could call it that. Suzy was the first one to notice him and waved him closer.

“Morning, Arin,” she said and grinned at Arin, causing Ross to turn around and smile at his friend.

“Hey, man,” he chimed in and Barry just nodded his head at the other guy.

Arin grinned at them all and said, happily: “Good morning, guys. Anything you’re talking about that could interest me?”

The black haired girl just shrugged. “Avidan came through and bumped against Ross…”

But Ross just grinned. “I think this guy _really_ hates me. That’s so refreshing.”

“That guy hates everyone. And everyone hates him, so it’s okay.”

“Are you kidding me?” Barry laughed roughly. “This guy has groupies running after him like crazy. I mean, he’s in a band and I’ve heard the guy sing…”

Ross snorted. “Oh, are you one of his groupies?”

The younger shoved him away.

While his friends laughed, Arin remembered Daniel’s first concert with his band. It was when they still were in contact (well, not really, but their parents would make them talk to each other) and Arin recalled how smitten he was by Dan’s voice. He would be lying if he said it didn’t send chills down his spine.

“Arin?”

The brunette looked up to see Suzy looking at him, a worried look in her eyes. “Huh?”

She raised an eyebrow, but continued to talk. “I asked you if you want to go in. We’re gonna be late if you keep day-dreaming.”

“Yeah,” Ross chimed in with that annoying grin on his face. “We all think Avidan is a bomb, but you don’t have to get high over heels for him.”

“Oh my god, Ross, if you say one more thing I will have to punch you in the face, or somewhere where it’ll hurt even more.”

The Australian seemed taken aback by Arin’s outburst und took a step back. “Okay, whoa, I didn’t know that I hit such a soft spot there, excuse me.”

He probably meant it as a joke, but honestly, Dan Avidan would always be a soft spot for Arin. And he hated that.

 

While they walked down the corridor, Arin walked in the back. He didn’t feel like chatting, so he just stared at the ground.

Too late he heard Suzy saying his name, because when he realized it, he already collided with another body and cursed loudly. “What the f—“

“Watch out where you’re going, you fucking—“

Arin made eye-contact with the other guy and he cursed again under his breath.

“Goddammit, Hanson, keep your eyes open,” Dan said, shoving the other man back.

“Shut you stupid mouth, Avidan, literally no one cares,” Arin shot back, not breaking eye-contact.

Dan stared back for a long time, before he suddenly cracked a smile. “You know what, Arin?”

Arin must’ve looked confused because suddenly the older man was giggling. “What is so funny?”

“No, no, _you know what, Arin?_ ” When Dan didn’t get an answer, he leaned forward a bit and whispered: “You won’t get away with that so easily.”

It took the younger man a lot of will-power to not step back from Dan. “What are you gonna do, Daniel? Tell your mom about it?”

Somehow, Dan managed to get even _closer_ to Arin and the younger had never felt this uncomfortable before. “I am gonna tell _your_ mom about it.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“I would.” He grinned. “Your mom loves me, so I might as well…”

They were disturbed when a loud voice shouted: “AVIDAN!”

Dan took a step back from the smaller male and looked at the teacher. “Yup?”

“Leave the boy alone and get to your class!”

It took Arin a second to realize how around him, people were staring at them. He blushed at the attention.

Daniel rolled his eyes. “I was just talking to him, relax old man.” With that he took off, leaving Arin’s teacher boiling with anger.

He took a deep breath before he started shouting again. “EVERYONE! GET BACK TO YOUR CLASSES!”

Arin ran towards his own friends and together they went to their class.

“Holy shit, man,” Ross said with wide eyes when they all sat in their seats. “He was totally flirting with you!”

“What?”, Arin asked, eyes just as wide. “No, man, you didn’t hear what he said to me, that was no flirting, he was threatening me.”

Barry raised an eyebrow. “It didn’t look like he was threatening you.”

“I—what?” The brunette turned to the black haired girl. “Suzy, please help me.”

He hoped she would defend him, but surprisingly, she just sighed and shrugged. “I don’t know, Arin. The sexual tension between you two was so thick, it was scary.”

Arin’s cheeks felt hot, he was just so embarrassed. “Are you serious? Dan is scary, but there was nothing, he was just being a creepy bastard.”

Suzy gave him a sympathetic smile, then she turned to the blackboard again, leaving Arin alone with his thoughts.

Flirting? That wasn’t flirting. Dan was a selfish bastard, the end.

But weirdly, something in Arin’s heart moved a bit.


	2. Chapter 2

“Flirting?!”

Dan leaned towards his friend so far, that he almost fell off his seat.

Brian sat in the chair next to him and Danny’s head was almost lying on his side of the table as he glared down at his best friend. “Yes, flirting,” he said, shoving Dan’s head away.

The younger of them just stared in shock. “I wasn’t _flirting_ with him! I was trying to scare the living _shit_ out of him!”

A shrug came from the other man, as Dan scratched his head. How could anyone think that _Dan_ would flirt with _Arin Hanson_? If he had to choose one guy that he would never date, hell, it would be Arin. He wouldn’t date many guys to begin with anyway.

“Avidan!”

Dan’s head jerked up at the sound of his last name and he stared at the principal standing in the doorframe. “What?” He asked, totally confused.

The old, grim looking man just moved nodded his head as a gesture for Dan to follow him. The student stood up from his chair and looked at Brian, who just shrugged as he watched his best friend leave the classroom. Shit, Daniel was nervous. He wasn’t often nervous, he usually put up with a lot of things, but getting suspended was something he couldn’t do to his parents, he just couldn’t.

When they entered the principal’s office, there was already a figure sitting in one of the chairs in front of the desk. Dan knew immediately who that figure was; he’s seen him almost every day when he was little. A groan escaped his lips.

Arin turned to watch the other enter the room and he rolled his eyes back at Dan before turning to the principal. “Listen, sir, it’s really not a big deal, it’s not like he did—“

He was cut short by the old man’s rather harsh voice. “Hanson, be silent.” His gaze wandered to Dan, as he gestured towards the other chair in the room. He himself went around the desk to take a seat behind it, in his giant ass armchair.

Danny just groaned once again and slumped down next to Arin, not wanting to make any eye-contact with him. He felt himself getting nervous once again. Surely, that was because the principal was looking at him grimly, and not because Arin was stealing glances at him from the corner of his eyes. “What’s the big deal, Maxie?”

Maxwell Downey’s head got red so fast, Dan would’ve missed the shading if he had blinked in the moment. “Mr. Avidan, you have to understand that your future is at risk here.” His voice was deep and dangerous.

“Yeah, yeah, I know, I know. I am in _big trouble_ , am I not?” He pointed over at Arin. “So, what’s with mister Anime here? Why is he here?” Dan felt Arin’s glare on the side of his face and couldn’t help but grin.

Downey just stared at Dan for a few seconds, then he cleared his throat and calmed himself down. “Mr. Avidan. Mr. Hanson. Can you explain to me why the both of you came late to your classes this morning?”

That confused Dan so much, that he actually raised his eyebrow. It wasn’t the first time he came later than expected of him to class. He looked over at Arin, who mimicked his expression.

“Sir,” the younger student tried, his voice calm and collected. “We were having a conversation and—“

“A conversation,” the principal interrupted Arin and shook his head. “You were throwing insults at each other, leaving other students to miss their classes, too. Do you know how important school _actually_ is?”

Dan sighed loudly. “By all means, Downey… It is none of our business what the other students missed. This is about Arin and me, right? We had a little disagreement in the hallway. We came late. What other people do is not in our hands.”

Arin nodded his head at this. “Right. I know, we were behaving childish this morning and really shouldn’t have, but, you know, it was a one-time thing, really. This was literally the first time I ever got late, anyways!”

“Oh, come on, princess, don’t betray me now,” Danny said as he looked over at his childhood acquaintance. “I come late pretty often.”

The principal nodded. “You do, indeed, Daniel.” He sighed and leaned back in his armchair, before closing his eyes. “You had some good arguments. Hanson, you are free to go. Avidan, I’ll have to call your parents regarding this.”

Dan was about to protest when Arin shouted: “Wait!” The other men looked at him in confusion and he blushed slightly, clearing his throat. “I’m sorry, but… Please don’t bring Mrs. Avidan into this. Please. I go to detention with Dan and then… then I can talk to his mother about it.”

Maxwell just stared in astonishment at the youngest in the room, while Danny was just plain in shock. Why the hell does Arin care? “Uhm… Hanson, I don’t –,“ the principal started, but Arin shook his head.

“Please, sir.”

The old man glanced at Dan and then back to Arin. “Fine then. Detention. Tomorrow, after school, both of you. Now get back to your classes.”

With that he shooed them out and the teenagers just stood in front of his door for a few minutes.

“Don’t think I did it for you,” Arin said after a while, his voice hushed, not wanting the principal to know that they are still standing there. Dan glanced down at him. “I just don’t think your mother deserves this shit.”

Danny couldn’t help but nod at this. “She doesn’t,” he just answered and took a deep breath. “Still.” Now Arin glanced up at the older boy. “Thank you for… you know.”

An awkward silence settled over them before Arin sighed. “I’ll get back to class now. See you tomorrow in detention, I guess.”

The taller man nodded slightly and watched as the younger took off and ran down the hallway, up the stairs, heading to his classroom.

Dan didn’t realize it, until he tasted blood, but he’s been biting his lip hard, growling at the silent corridors.

He fucking hated Arin Hanson so much. So, so, so fucking much. While he walked down the hallway, up the stairs and headed into his classroom, he kept reminding himself that he _really_ hated Arin Hanson.

Because after today, he found it really fucking hard to believe his own words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for 20 kudos and over 200 hits :3  
> I wrote this chapter in an hour and didn't check it over, so if there are any typos or grammatical mistakes, please correct me :) Thanks!  
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The next one will be up soon, hopefully.
> 
> Love, Mel ♥


	3. Chapter 3

“Detention?”

Arin winced at Suzy’s stern voice.

He tried to tell his friends about what happened in the principal’s office, but he didn’t really know how to do that, because everything he wanted to say kinda made him sound weird or that he did whatever he did for Dan. Which he did _not_! Definitely not.

Ross smirked at Arin as they sat in the cafeteria and ate their lunch. “So, you two. In detention. After you saved his pretty ass from Mr. Downey.”

“What is it with you guys thinking he is, oh, so pretty? He’s not!” Arin knew that he was pouting, but he didn’t care. His friends were betraying him here!

Now it was Barry’s turn to smirk. “Hey, what’s wrong? Having gay thoughts or something?”

He couldn’t believe his friends right now, so he stood up and sighed. “You know what? I feel sick, I’m gonna talk to the nurse.”

He took off, hearing Suzy say: “Good job, boys.” and Ross laughing frantically.

* * *

 

The nurse checked him up. “So, you feel sick?”

“Yup,” was all Arin said before staring down at his feet.

“Well, you don’t have a fever, but if you want I can send you home, if it doesn’t get better, you—“

She was interrupted by the door flying open and a guy suddenly standing in front of them. He was a little older than Arin and seemed shocked. “Uhm—he’s bleeding pretty badly again.”

While Arin had no idea what was going on, the nurse sighed annoyed. “Don’t tell me you played football again.”

“Uh—kinda?”

The youngest in the room raised an eyebrow. “Why not get him inside?”

The guy stared at Arin for a few seconds. “Oh, shit, yes, Brian, get him in!”

Brian? _Oh god, please no._

Suddenly Brian stood in the door, supporting a bleeding Dan on his shoulder.

Dan looked up and saw Arin and almost immediately took a step back. He collided with a wall and Brian almost let go of him, but he was able to catch him before the younger could fall. “Shit—sorry Brian.”

Brian just rolled his eyes as he sat Dan down in the chair right next to Arin.

“You look like shit,” Arin said without thinking.

He was met with Danny’s glare. “Why, thank you, Arin. You are extra nice today.”

“Okay, boys. As I said, if you want to go home, Arin, you have my permission.” The nurse sat down to work on Dan.

“What? What’s wrong?” Dan looked worried all of a sudden and Arin was taking aback by the strong emotion in the elders eyes. Dan must’ve noticed and turned away almost immediately. “You sick?”

Arin kept staring at him and could’ve sworn that he saw a blush on the cheeks of the Jew. “I just feel a little nauseous, nothing to worry about.”

Dan scoffed a little before saying: “Oh, I’m not worried, don’t get your hopes up, princess.”

“Whatever, Leigh,” Arin said, shoving past Dan, rolling his eyes in the process and leaving the infirmary as fast as he possibly could.

“Fuck off, Hanson!”

* * *

 

When Arin arrived at home, his mother looked at him confused. “You are home already?”

“Uhm… Yeah. Some classes were moved, so I’ll have to stay longer tomorrow…” Arin lied, a fake smile on his face.

The look Maurette Hanson gave her son was sceptic, but eventually she just sighed and waved him off. “Fine, honey. Go get to your homework, we wanted to visit Debbie today.”

It took Arin all of his will-power to not scream out loud. “What do you mean by _we_? I’m not coming.”

“Arin, I frankly do not care how much you dislike Dan. You promised me to come along, so you will.”

“Mom, I’m sorry, but I can’t. I have, like, way too much homework and I don’t feel very well and, mom, I just want to sleep.”

Maurette glared at him. “Okay.” She turned around and went down the hall, her voice being stern and serious when she said: “But you won’t get out of it the next time I ask you.”

Arin sighed, mumbled: “Alright,” and slumped up the stairs, heading to his room. He closed the door behind himself and groaned. Taking his time, he looked around his room. Only his close friends were allowed in here, mainly because he is a very private person, but also because his whole room was painted in the color pink.

It wasn’t unusual for Arin to get shit because he liked feminine shit, so he was kinda used to it, but, hell, it still hurt when some assholes would tell you that liking girl stuff made you gay and less of a man. _Bullshit_ , Arin thought as he strode over to his giant Sailor Moon poster that hung on his wall. _Being girly doesn’t make you weak, it makes you fucking badass!_ That was one of the reasons he valued his friendship with Suzy so much. Damn, this girl was badass.

Arin took a deep breath before he sat down in front of his desk, his head almost immediately hitting the wooden surface. He was just so tired.

And tomorrow, things would get just worse.

* * *

 

When Arin arrived at detention, Dan was already sitting in a chair, balancing a pencil on his nose. When he saw the younger enter the classroom, he let it fall back down on the table and smirked up at him.

Arin tried hard to ignore the elder’s stare, but it was almost impossible. He took a seat as far away from Dan as he could.

That was when the teacher, Mrs. Gleeson looked up and spotted Arin. “Oh, Hanson, I didn’t hear you come in.” With that she stood and handed the boys one sheet of paper each. “This will be your work for today. Read the instructions and fill everything out. If there are any questions, I’m sitting right here.”

Arin took a deep breath before he grabbed one of his pencils and got to work. But there was something distracting him and it was without a doubt the burning feeling of someone watching him. He wanted nothing more than to turn around and scream at Dan to just fucking stop looking at him, but he couldn’t possibly do that, because Mrs. Gleeson was sitting _right there_.

They all sat in silence for at least ten minutes when suddenly the teacher jumped out of her seat, her phone clutched in her hand, a shocked expression on her face. “Oh, I forgot, how could I have forgotten?” She turned to a very confused Arin, a plea in her eyes. “Hanson, I gotta run, I trust you to take care of Avidan until I’m back. Okay? Thanks!” With that she ran off.

Arin just sat there for a few moments, trying to grasp what Mrs. Gleeson has actually said to him. He didn’t even have the time to turn to Dan to make sure he wouldn’t get them into trouble, when the older had already seated himself in the chair beside Arin.

They looked at each other and suddenly Dan flashed him a smile. “Okay, man, I know we hate each other and _ugh, that Hanson guy is so stupid_ but I really need your help on question 3 right now!”

The younger just stared. “Go back to your seat,” was all he was able to stutter out.

“Oh, come on, Arin, let me copy!”

“You’re not gonna copy my answers, fuck you!”

Dan then leaned over, one hand on Arin’s shoulder, the other reaching for the paper. But Arin’s reflexes were quick, maybe a little too quick for them both, because when Arin yanked the sheet away, Dan lost his balance and fell right into the younger’s lap.

They didn’t move for a few very long seconds, so when Dan finally lifted himself off Arin’s crotch, he cleared his throat and his cheeks were blushed. “Sorry, man, I didn’t mean… for that to happen…”

Just like Dan, Arin cleared his throat, ignoring the heat that went through his body. “No harm done.”

After that incident it was silent between them. They would glance at each other from time to time and once their eyes met, they’d look away from the other and Arin felt like he was in some chick-flick.

When Mrs. Gleeson came back, she seemed confused to find Dan sitting beside Arin, but she didn’t say anything about it.

At the end of the lesson, the teacher took the sheets and wished the boys a nice day.

As the both of them stood in the hallway, feeling still too awkward to talk, Arin would look at the older man from the corner of his eyes. With a big sigh, he decided to speak up. “Anyway, I’ll be going now.”

“W-wait a second, Arin,” Dan said, his voice shy and nervous and Arin had to turn to look at him, because he has never heard that voice in this tone. “I drove here today… with my car. Do you… maybe, like, want me to drive you home?”

Arin raised an eyebrow at the other guy, “Really? Why the hell would you make me that offer?”

Dan pursed his lips as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants. “Well, you came to detention with me when you could’ve just let me get expelled…”

“I did that for your mother, not for you.”

“I know that, jeez, man, just let me do this and thank you, I can’t stand that feeling of owing someone something. It’s also getting dark outside and I don’t want you to… Well, you know…”

Arin couldn’t help but smile at the realization that Dan was actually worried about his well-being. “Alright then, drive me home, Avidan.”

Suddenly Dan broke out in a smile and Arin thought about shielding his eyes from all the sincerity and kindness he felt coming from it.

Who knows, maybe Dan wasn’t that bad?


	4. Chapter 4

To say that the drive to Arin’s house was silent would be understated. It was probably the most awkward thing Dan ever had to sit through.

He didn’t know what got him to ask Arin if he could drive him home. Okay, well, maybe he was a bit worried about the guy, but, jeez, they grew up together, it was normal to be scared for him, wasn’t it?

Well, thinking about it twice, Dan realized that Arin probably would’ve arrived at his place by walking before darkness would fall… God, now he just felt stupid.

He glanced over to look at Arin. And the sight that unfolded itself in front of him hit him like a solid, fucking brick.

Arin Joseph Hanson, sitting next to Dan in his car, the now reddish sun drowning in the lake behind him, his whole face illuminated by the orange/pink color of the sky. Fuck, that guy was handsome.

How has he never noticed? He couldn’t remember the first time he met Arin. He was just always there. They would play in the younger’s garden for hours, passing each other soccer balls or just playing knights with Arin’s plastic swords.

Dan’s seen Arin’s face almost more often than the face of his own mother, which was an unsettling thought, actually. But shit, it was true, wasn’t it?

Yet, he never realized that Arin was actually pretty. Or handsome, rather. Fuck it, he was stunningly beautiful and Dan felt like punching himself for actually thinking this way.

“Uhhh, Dan?”

Arin’s voice threw the older boy out of his thoughts and he looked over to his childhood friend immediately. “What?”

The younger raised an eyebrow at him and cleared his throat. “Do you not know where I live or did you just not take the right turn for fun?”

They both knew that Dan would’ve been able to find Arin’s house with his eyes closed, but when he looked up ahead again, he realized that he really didn’t take the turn. He cursed before sighing slightly. “Sorry, I was drowning in thoughts. I’ll take the long way round then, I am too fucking lazy to find a place where I can turn.”

Dan didn’t look at him – he didn’t need to, he just knew that Arin was rolling his eyes at him, right this second. “Sure, why the hell not?” There was a pause before Arin continued. “What were you even thinking about?”

“Just…” Dan glanced over and saw Arin looking at him, curiosity in his eyes. “Just some times from out childhood.”

Arin seemed to be really taken aback by the honesty as his eyes widened. “You mean… you were thinking about… us?”

The older sighed. “Yeah, man, I mean, what happened? We used to be so close.”

“I’d say Brian happened. And then Ross, Suzy and Barry happened.”

“So, just because we befriended other people? We stopped being friends because of that?”

It was quiet for a few seconds before Arin spoke up again. “I’m not fond of Brian. And you don’t like my friends.”

Dan shook his head at this. “Okay, Brian is a huge dick, I understand that you might not like the guy a lot, but honestly, I don’t even know your friends!” He re-thought that statement. “I mean, Ross is a fucking asshole, but the other two –“

He wasn’t able to finish the sentence, because suddenly Arin started laughing out loud.

Dan wanted to kick himself for blushing at the sound, but he was driving, so that wasn’t possible.

When Arin stopped laughing, he shook his head. “Ah, man, thank you. Yes, Ross is such a weird guy. But he’s only half as bad when you get to know him. I know, That’s still pretty bad, but, hey. He has a good soul.”

Danny couldn’t help but smile. If there was anyone who could say something good about Ross, then it was Arin. “Still. I like Suzy and Barry enough,” the elder said, staring at the road ahead. “It didn’t have to turn out this way.”

He felt Arin’s eyes on him before the younger said, quietly: “Why do you care so much?”

And to that, Dan had no answer. Even if he had one, he couldn’t have told Arin, because something got stuck in his throat.

Arin didn’t push it. He just waited, looking at his childhood friend.

“I guess… I guess we could’ve made our mom’s a lot happier. Also I think… you’d have a good influence on me.”

Silence.

“Do you still draw?”

That was when Arin looked away. “Yeah. I want to become an animator, actually.”

“Animator…”

“Yes, I animate stuff, you know?”

Dan shoved Arin to the side. “I know what animators do, fuck off. It’s just… Brian and I have been searching for one to animate one of our videos.”

Arin smiled suddenly. “What is this song about? Boners?”

“No, actually,” Dan said and pursed his lips. “It’s called _Dinosaur Lazer Fight_.”

That made the younger break out in laughter. “Are you fucking serious? What is it about?”

“Well, obviously it’s a historical song about the war between dinosaurs, robots, sharks and aliens. In space. Duh.”

“Oh, yes, of course. How did I not think about that?”

“You’re just a stupid.”

Arin grinned, shaking his head slightly. “So, are you asking me to animate shit for you?”

The older guy found himself shrugging. “I mean, if you wanna. You wouldn’t get paid, though. After all, Brian and I don’t make any money either.”

It was quiet for a few seconds, then Arin chuckled. “I’ll listen to it and if I like it, I’ll animate it. That sound good?”

Dan couldn’t help but smile. ”Oh, you’ll love it.”

Arin snorted. “How would you know?”

“I know you.”

“You _knew_ me.”

Dan stared at the stoplight that they stood in front of. He wasn’t wrong. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” He smirked. “Why are you even in my car, stranger?!”

It worked, because Arin burst out laughing and the bad atmosphere was gone. “Fine, I’ll throw myself out of the moving car!”

The older boy joined in. “Don’t you dare! How should I explain that to your mother?”

“Ah, yeah, speaking about my mom, don’t tell her I had detention.”

Dan nodded. “If you don’t tell mine, I won’t tell yours.”

That seemed to surprise the younger. “You didn’t tell her? I thought detention was nothing new for you?”

“Oh, it’s not. But, like, I don’t need my mother to know that I almost got expelled… again…” Dan took a deep breath as he pulled into the driveway of Arin’s house. “Welcome home, princess.”

Arin rolled his eyes. “Thank you, charming.” He unfastened his seatbelt and opened his door. “Do you want to come in…? Like, my mom would probably like to see you.”

Danny was pretty sure that he was blushing right now. “Uhm. Nah, thanks. Don’t get me wrong, I love your mom, but… I should get home, my mom is waiting for me and… Well, I’ll see Maurette when she comes over next time anyways…”

Arin smiled. “Cool. See you in school, Dan.”

“Yup.” Dan watched Arin climb out of his seat but before he could close the door, the older raised his voice again. “Wait a second, Arin.”

The younger stopped. “Yeah?”

Dan swallowed before shaking his head slightly. “I’m just… Just sorry for… you know?”

“Uh, no, I don’t think I know, actually…”

“See you tomorrow, Arin.”

They looked at each other for a few seconds until Arin nodded slowly and threw the door shut. As Dan drove away, he looked into his mirror, seeing Arin still standing in the driveway, a confused look on his face.

Dan punched his steering wheel in desperation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope y'all have a great christmas time :) Take care, everyone.
> 
> I'll see you next year!


	5. Chapter 5

When Arin woke up the next day, his face was so hot, it felt like it would _melt_.

He did have weird dreams before, of course, but those things were dreams, fantasies, _not real._ Then why did he suddenly remember shit from his past? Why did he dream about Dan, caressing his cheek when they were six and seven years old? Why did he dream about Dan, 13 years old, a little smile on his face as he watched Arin rage over that weird football game? Why did he remember that his first crush was the guy he spent his whole childhood with?

Arin wanted to scream. Those days were gone. _Gone!_ He didn’t feel this way! He didn’t like him! He hated him! So much!

And he knew, of course he knew. He knew this was a lie.

* * *

 

When Arin arrived at school, Barry was the first one to notice that his friend was down. “You alright?”

Suzy searched his face. “You seem extremely tired…”

When Arin shook his head and waved them off, Ross chimed in, loudly. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. I’m much more interested in what happened at detention yesterday!”

“Nothing happened!” Arin realized that he answered way too fast, so he cleared his throat. “We had to work, then he drove me home, whatever.”

“He drove you home!” Ross pulled at Arin’s arm. “Did you smooch?!”

“What the fuck, Ross?!”

Suzy and Barry started laughing while Arin’s face got so red, he probably looked like a tomato.

It was then that someone bumped against him and Arin turned to face the person and… _Of fucking course._

Dan stared down at Arin for a second, then he smiled. “Morning, Hanson.”

And, even though it should’ve been scientifically impossible, Arin blushed even more. “M-morning.”

That confused the older guy and he looked at Arin’s friends until his eyes stopped on Ross. “I told you, Arin. This guy is the worst.” He drove his hands through his childhood friend’s hair and soon left, Brian on his heels.

“You talked about me to Dan Avidan?” Ross’ eyes were huge.

Suzy giggled. “That aside, what is it with the flirting between you two?”

“We’re not flirting!” Arin hid his face in his hands.

Barry smiled. “Whatever you say, but seriously, we should get in. Class starts soon.”

* * *

 

Arin was so mad at his friends. _And_ at Dan. At all of them. Like, seriously. He was just a dude who had a crush on the guy that was like a brother to him when he grew up. So what?!

Actually… Thinking back, Arin never looked at Dan this way. Never as if he was a family member. Sure, they were close. _Close as brothers_ but never really _like brothers_. You don’t crush on your brother and want to kiss him, well, usually not, at least. Not if you were right in your head.

He lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling as he thought about his feelings. It didn’t hit him as hard as he thought it would when he realized that he _did_ like Dan. He always did, but he tried to force the feelings down with made up hate for the older man.

Memories rushed in so suddenly, Arin almost got motion sick. Dan sitting on the tree in Arin’s backyard, a grin on his face as he looked down at Arin who stuck out his tongue. Dan’s laughter when Arin fell flat on his face during skateboarding lessons. Dan hugging Arin when he finally taught the younger how to ride a bike. Dan combing Arin’s hair when they had sleepovers. Dan whispering “dirty” lyrics he made up while the two lay in bed, soft giggling that erupted into fits of uncontrollable laughter and Arin’s mother who would scold them for being too loud and not sleeping yet. Dan’s hand in his when they had to cross a street. Dan brushing away Arin’s tears whenever he started crying. Dan laughing at every single joke that Arin has ever made, no matter how bad they were. Dan punching a guy in the face because he said Arin looked like a “fag” in that pink sweater. Dan kissing Arin on the cheek and then turning away, his face so red that even Arin felt embarrassed, though he didn’t know why.

Just… Just Dan.

Arin groaned loudly and pulled the blanked over his head. He had always liked Dan. He still liked Dan. Talking to him yesterday has made that clear.

 _What happened?_ , he had asked. _We used to be so close_.

And Arin stupidly said that it was because of Brian. It wasn’t because of Brian. It was because of that stupid crush that just didn’t go away. Arin had been scared – he had been _terrified_ to even just think about the possibility that he was gay. Liking pink as a guy was bad enough, but also being into guys? He’d be a laughing stock.

But shit… He missed Dan. He missed him right this second, he missed his smile and his laugh and the way he’d drive his hand through his long, messy hair.

A knock on the door made Arin almost jump out of his bed. “Arin?” His mom’s voice.

“Yeah?” He pulled the blanket off his head.

Maurette stood in the door, looking at her youngest son, raising an eyebrow. “We’re gonna visit Debbie in ten minutes. And don’t you dare try to talk yourself out of this, you promised me!”

Arin rolled his eyes as he waved his mother out of the room. “I know. I’ll get ready.”

* * *

 

He hadn’t even closed the car door behind him, but he was already sick of it. He wanted to get out, not visit Dan, not see Dan. Arin literally had no interest in that feeling that he got when Dan was close. He just wanted to kick the door open and _run_.

But Maurette was already driving and her son’s seatbelt was already fastened and he wanted to puke, gosh, he was nervous!

“It’s not gonna be that bad,” his mother said as she pulled into the driveway in front of Dan’s house. It was smaller than the one Arin lived in, but Debbie grew up in it, so she was probably gonna live here forever. “Dan is not as bad as you make him out to be.”

They climbed out of the car and Arin sighed. “I know.”

His mom knocked on the door and Arin closed his eyes. _Here we go, then._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy new year, lovelies ♥


	6. Chapter 6

“Oh, come on!”

Dan threw his pillow at the TV while Avi shook his head disapprovingly. “And they were so good in the last season,” the older man said, a frown on his face.

His son rolled his eyes. “Seriously, something can’t be right, they’ve never been so bad! We can’t afford a loss.”

It was a tradition to watch football with his dad and usually it was fun, but if your team keeps fucking everything up, well, it’s not as much fun then.

They kept on watching until the time ran out and it was official: his team had lost. Dan got angry and threw another pillow at the television. “Are you fucking serious?! How is this fair at all? This is ridiculous, I won’t accept that, we’re twice, no, five times as good as those losers!”

“Football is boring anyway.”

Dan jumped suddenly at the voice behind him and fell off the couch, a little scream coming from his throat. Around him the room erupted in laughter and Dan glared up at Arin. “Fucking hell, Hanson.”

Arin giggled slightly, but then he came around and held out his hand for Dan to take, which he did, eventually. “Sorry, man, I forgot you’re so jumpy.”

The older of the two rolled his eyes when he stood. “You should never forget this, one day you’ll kill me.”

“Tempting.”

Danny glared again and Arin burst out laughing. From the corner of his eye he could see their mother’s looking at each other surprised and Dan bit his lip. He didn’t mean to give them any hope that the two boys could ever be _best friends_ , but they seemed happy, so he kept it up. “C’mon Arin,” he said as he slung his arm around the younger’s shoulders. “I’ll show you my room.”

He felt Arin’s confused expression on his skin, but the younger didn’t say anything or push him away, so Dan guided him up the stairs into his room. Once they stood inside, Arin raised an eyebrow. “Jesus, you _really_ are into bands, huh?”

A shrug came from the taller before he jumped onto his bed and laid there for a while. His eyes followed Arin as he sat down on the couch and stayed there, awkwardly.

It was then that Dan’s door flew open and his little sister stood in the door, looking first at Dan, then at Arin. She raised her eyebrows and said: “Hey, Arin,” before looking at her older brother again. “Dan, did you change the Wi-Fi-password again?”

“What if I did?” He sat up as he looked at Dana who started to glare at him. “It’s ‘steelpantherrocks’.”

She nodded and left the room, though Dan could’ve sworn she mumbled: “No, they don’t” under her breath.

Once she was gone, Arin turned to the older male. “She got tall.”

Again, Dan just shrugged at Arin. “I really don’t care. I barely get to see her.” He rolled his eyes. “Seriously, how can a fifteen year old have such a busy life, it is beyond me.” There was a pause before he continued: “Also, don’t talk about her like you’re her grandfather, man, you’re only a year older than her.”

“Hey, I’m just saying, I haven’t seen her in a while!”

Dan carefully sat up and looked at Arin. The younger shook his head disapprovingly and Danny was mad because he couldn’t help but stare at him again. Arin’s brown hair reached his shoulders now and the blonde streak (Suzy had a matching one, Dan realized, not at all jealous) was something Dan admired, ever since Arin dyed it.

“Hey, Dan,” Arin asked suddenly, but when Dan looked up, the shorter male wouldn’t meet his eyes. “Do you ever imagine how life would be if we didn’t… if we hadn’t grown apart?”

That took the older guy by surprise and his eyes widened. Did Arin think about stuff like that? “I… I don’t know?” He looked at his feet. “Maybe once or twice, but…”

“Do you think we’d be… really good friends?”

Dan closed his eyes. “I mean… yes. We were when we were kids, weren’t we? I think… I think if we actually stayed friends, we would’ve… been best friends.” _Or more_ , he thought, but didn’t dare to say it out loud.

“Yeah, I think so, too.” There was a pause, but Dan didn’t dare to open his eyes. It wasn’t until he felt the bed shifting under him that his eyes snapped open to look at Arin, sitting on the other side of his bed. Danny's whole body stiffened. “Do you hate me?”

And that, that was the thing that broke Dan’s heart. He would’ve said _yes_. If Arin had asked this two days before, he would’ve laughed out loud and said: _yes, you douchebag. I don’t have any reason not to!_ That would’ve been a lie of course, but whatever. Now, though. Now he couldn’t just nod. He didn’t hate Arin at all. He liked him. Liked him like an old friend, like a childhood friend, like a best friend, like a boy would like a girl, like he’s liked his ex-girlfriends. And this thought scared the shit out of him.

When Dan didn’t answer, something in the younger’s eyes changed. It almost looked like… pain? “You don’t have to answer,” is what Arin said at last. “I’ll be in the living room.”

And with that he stood up and walked away and Dan’s brain screamed at him, it _begged_ him to keep Arin close, to not let him walk away. So the older boy grabbed the younger’s arm, pulling him a little closer to himself and their eyes locked. “I don’t hate you, Arin. Not at all.”

Almost immediately, Arin’s cheeks reddened and Dan has never seen something more beautiful. He wasn’t sure if the smaller was actually coming closer, or if he was just imagining it, but when he was about to close his eyes, there was a knock on the door and both teenagers jumped apart.

Debbie stood in the door, just a few seconds later, telling them dinner was ready. Both boys just nodded at her and then she was gone already.

 _Fuck_ , Dan thought as he looked at Arin who pretty much _bolted_ out of the room. _Fuck_.

* * *

 

While they sat at the table, Dan wasn’t able to catch Arin’s eyes _once_. It was so frustrating. He didn’t want him to feel bad, but shit, didn’t they almost _kiss_? He felt his face heat up before staring at the table.

“You are growing up to be a handsome young man, Arin,” Debbie said, and from the corner of his eye, Dan could see Arin look up.

He smiled a little and Danny’s heart picked up speed. “Oh, thank you very much. I try my best.”

The whole table erupted in laughter and before Arin was able to look away, Dan caught his eyes and they just looked at each other for a while. When the younger was about to look away again, the older of them both stood up abruptly, startling everyone. “Arin, can I talk to you for a second?”

Arin seemed uneasy, yet he stood and followed his old friend out into the hall. “What do you want?” he said, his voice sounding annoyed, but at the same time kinda forced.

“I’m sorry,” was the first thing Danny chocked out and the smaller male’s eyes widened. “I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable and I am really sorry. The truth is, I… well, fuck, man.” The Jew rubbed his face before grinning like a little kid. “I want to be your friend, man. I miss childhood and you’re the closest thing. Hell, you’ve been my whole childhood and I… I fucking miss you sometimes, okay? There, I said it.”

Arin’s eyes were still the size of the moon at nine in the afternoon when he shook his head slightly. “Don’t… Don’t be sorry. _I_ made it awkward anyways…” He shifted slightly before sighing. “I miss you, too, man. Really. And I’d like to be your friend.” A shrug. “But you’d have to get used to Ross. As annoying as that Australian is, he’s one of my best friends and I couldn’t live without him, as cheesy as that sounds.”

In a way, that made Dan jealous and he got slightly mad at himself that something like _that_ would make him so envious. In another way, he was just _happy_. Because Arin didn’t hate him and he wanted to be friends with him and, fuck, he would be able to take Ross’ bullshit, if that meant being closer to his childhood crush. “Then we’re friends?”

Something must’ve shown on Danny’s face, because suddenly the younger boy started laughing out loud. “Yes, yes we are friends, Dan.”

And with that, Dan just stepped forward and wrapped his arms around the smaller male, not able to stop himself, nor the feelings that bubbled up in his stomach. At first Arin stood still, seemingly in shock, but after a few seconds, he threw his arms around the taller’s neck and it sure felt like Dan was able to get a little piece of heaven, just for himself.

That was the moment he really, _truly_ realized, just how _fucked_ he actually was.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait D:  
> I hope you'll enjoy this rather short chapter with some bonding time and college talk. :)

On the way home, Arin just stared out of the window, smiling happily. His mother looked at him from time to time, a frown on her face, but she didn’t say anything.

He was friends with Dan again. Sure, he almost kissed him today, which was the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to him, but the older boy apparently didn’t think so. He still wanted to be friends with the little nerd that Arin undoubtedly was.

* * *

 

The next day started boring. Arin’s friends just kept asking him why he left early yesterday, but he didn’t really know what to answer besides _‘I felt sick’_.

As they sat at their table during lunch, he half-listened to Ross’ story, but the other half of his thoughts were occupied with Dan. It was annoying. But he couldn’t help it.

He was deep in thought when suddenly someone pushed Arin into Suzy a little to squeeze themselves on the bench, next to Arin. “Do you have any classes with Mrs. Dawson? She’s so annoying,” said the voice Arin heard every day for most of his life.

Glancing up, Dan just grinned at Arin, grabbing the younger male‘s coke and taking a sip of it. After that, Arin turned to look at his friends. All of them had the same facial expression: pure shock and confusion.

“Okay, what the fuck,” Suzy said, looking from Dan to Arin to Brian (whom Arin hadn’t actually noticed until now) and back to Arin. “One day you hate each other, the other you flirt like lovers, and now you’re best buddies? What the fuck is going on?”

Danny looked at her for a few seconds, then he sighed. “Honestly, I wish I could explain it, but I’m just as confused.” He put an arm around Arin and everything started tingling in the younger guy’s body. “Anyways, you’re gonna see more of us in the future.”

Brian sighed as he silently ate his food.

“It’s been a while since Arin and I really talked or spent time with each other, so it’ll be awkward at first,” Dan explained, seemingly lost in thought. “But we’ll get past this and in the meantime, I’ll get to know you guys!”

Now Barry was the one to speak up. With a raised eyebrow he asked: “When _did_ you talk and spend time with each other? How do you even know Arin?”

Without even looking up, Arin _knew_ that Dan was staring down at him. The younger bit his lip and looked at his lap, cheeks getting hotter and hotter by the second.

“He never told you? Our mothers are best friends since high school. We grew up together.”

There were three glares directly focused on him and Arin shifted in his seat slightly. Ross scoffed. “So, all those years, when we asked you: ‘What is wrong with that Avidan dude?’ you’d just answer: ‘Don’t know man, never talked to the guy’ while you were actually childhood buddies?!” He threw his hands in the hair and with that also the sandwich that he had held in his left hand. He didn’t seem to mind. The person behind him did.

Dan sighed as he leaned his head against Arin’s. Needless to say, the younger’s whole body was on fire. “Okay, Arin, I didn’t know I was that embarrassing to you.”

“Now you know,” Arin said, picking up his own sandwich and biting into it, trying hard to hide the blush on his face.

The worst thing was that he felt Suzy’s eyes on him and once Suzy knew about romantic feelings, she wouldn’t stop trying to make you confess. “So, Dan,” she said and everyone looked at her. “College awaits next year, huh? Where do you think you’ll be going?”

Arin glanced up at Dan and found the older boy pouting. “I mean, I will try to get into Juilliard… If that doesn’t work out I’ll settle for the Curtis Institute of Music in Philly.”

“Juilliard,” Barry said, nodding his head. “Cool, but New York and Philly are very far away. You wouldn’t be able to see your family for a long time.”

“Well, that’s how much I love music,” Dan answered, grinning at Barry.

Ross looked at Brian and raised an eyebrow. “What about you Brian? Music, too?”

There was a silence, so when Arin looked up at Brian, he found the older man just looking at his plate. “No,” he said eventually, reaching for his coke. “I was thinking about Harvard, but I guess I’ll try to get into the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. It’s closer.”

 _Much closer_ , Arin thought and sighed. He noticed how Dan raised his head to look at Arin. “Do _you_ guys have any ideas about college already?”

The first one to speak up was Ross. “Arin and I are trying to get into the University of Southern California in L.A. It’s very close, so it’s our first way to go. If that doesn’t work out though, we thought we’d settle for the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia.”

Barry nodded. “I’ll try to go to the Institute of the Arts, too. But for acting. I mean, Juilliard would be nice, too.” He looked at Dan and shrugged. “But New York…”

Dan smiled at him sympathicly.

All eyes were on Suzy who started smiling. “My dream would be Parsons, in New York. But, well, as Barry said: New York. I’m gonna try to get into the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. If that doesn’t work out, there’s also the Otis College of Art and Design in L.A.”

“So, you all want to stay in California, huh?” Dan said, smiling a bit, though it seemed forced to Arin.

Arin looked at him. “Ever thought about the San Francisco Conservatory of Music or the Los Angeles College of Music?”

The older guy sighed at this and pulled his arm away from Arin. “Yeah, of course. But Juilliard would be such a chance. I have relatives in Jersey that I could stay at… I really want Juilliard.”

Something in the way Dan’s eyes glistened made Arin’s chest hurt badly.

He didn’t want him to leave. Especially not if he would be in New York, three thousand miles away from him.

It was just not fair.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That took me a while Dx  
> Sorry, but here you have it! Hope you enjoy!

Having known Arin for almost 17 years now, Dan could easily tell whenever the younger boy didn't feel good. Sure, talking about colleges and the future was hard for a lot of people, but when Arin stopped eating his lunch, Dan became concerned. But how should one approach this?

The bell took that question from him. Everybody in the hall groaned; it was something that always made Dan smile. Hate for class, shared by everyone.

As his new friends got up, Danny couldn't help but glance at Arin, who made a face like someone had just told him that his grandma has died.

So, while everyone packed in their things, Dan mindlessly grabbed his former best friend's wrist. Big brown eyes found his and the older of the two couldn't help but smirk. "Can we talk for a minute, Arin?"

Arin was nervous, Dan could see, but he still nodded and followed Dan outside. People were rushing past them, getting to class, as Dan cornered Arin at his favorite tree. "What's wrong?"

The nervousness that has been on Arin's face made now room for the confusion and as he stared up at his childhood friend, he couldn't help but try to wriggle out of Dan's little trap. It didn't really work. "Excuse me?"

"You act like someone has died just 5 minutes ago. Was it the talk about college? Did I do something wrong? Say something wrong?"

The younger sighed at this, his eyes finding the ground. "I am fine, Dan. Just... future talk makes me uncomfortable, okay? You did nothing wrong."

And for some reason, Dan just knew it was a lie. "Really," he said taking a step closer to Arin. They were almost touching now. "And it wasn't because I said that I would like to go to New York?"

With that, Arin closed his eyes and shook his head. "Nope, this was about me, not about you."

"Ari--" Dan started but was then grabbed by the collar and pulled away from Arin. "What the fuck?" He turned around to find Mrs. Dawson standing behind him, glaring at him.

"Leigh Avidan, what are you doing to the poor boy?!"

As Dan straightened his collar, he couldn't help but scoff at the old woman. "We were just talking, relax!"

The teacher immediately raised an eyebrow. "Talking?! Do you press someone against a tree while talking, Avidan?! I've seen you do it to plenty of girls and now you do it to this poor boy, you are sick!"

Dan glanced at Arin who blushed as he heard this and the older of the two couldn't help but smile at how adorable he looked. "Even if I was flirting with him," Dan said, turning his whole attention back to his least favorite teacher. "It's none of your business."

Mrs. Dawson shook her head at this. "If you are assaulting another student, then yes, it is my business. And if you get into more trouble, you will get expelled!“ She turned to Arin with that bittersweet smile on her face, the one that always made Dan want to vomit. "Come on, sweetheart, be honest with me. Did Avidan keep you here against your will?”

Panic rose up in Dan’s chest. He wouldn’t say yes, would he? How pissed was he right now? Would he call him out?

All those thoughts melted away as he felt a hand slip into his. “No, ma'am. We were having a delightful conversation, thank you very much for your concern.”

Saying that anger crossed the old woman’s face would’ve been an understatement, but Dan couldn’t find another word for it before she turned to him, giving him the _I’m-gonna-get-you-one-day_ look and marched away.

Arin sighed as he pulled his hand away from Dan again and the older had to restrain himself from whining at the lack of physical contact. _Jesus, Dan, show some respect for yourself_ , he thought, as he turned back to his friend. “Sorry about that. Thanks for not calling me out.”

The younger raised an eyebrow at that. “Well, you weren’t really assaulting me and that woman is just bullshit crazy. What does she have against you?”

“I’m lazy, I’m loud, I’m a troublemaker. People _usually_ have something against me,” he smiled at Arin who shook his head, though there was a smile on his lips. “Anyways… Let’s go to class before we’ll both be late.”

They were about to part ways, when Arin grabbed Dan’s wrist. “Let me just say…” He stopped himself and looked Dan right in the eye, the older keeping the eyecontact locked. “Please concider San Francisco or L.A.”

Then his hand was gone, and with that, the warm feeling Arin usually left behind. Dan’s childhood friend rushed into the building, dodging older students and then disappeared.

* * *

 

Dan stood in front of the school, waiting for Arin. He felt a little ridiculous because he waited an hour just so he could walk home with his crush. Well, he felt _really_ ridiculous, actually.

So when Arin stood next to him, suddenly, his eyes wide, Dan couldn’t help but laugh. “Want me to walk you home?”

Behind him, Ross snickered. “Will you guys start holding hands once I’m gone?”

Arin turned to him and said: “Go suck a dick, Ross.”

“I’m not the one who’s about to suck dick,” he answered, cackling before walking away. “Tell me how it was tomorrow, okay?”

“Fuck yourself, O’Donovan!” Dan proclaimed as he shook his head. He then looked down at Arin and smiled again. “So. Let’s walk home, shall we?”

The younger just gave him a look. “You really want to walk me home? What am I? Your little sister?”

This made the taller chuckle. “Sure, if you want to be. Do you want to hold hands, too, like Dana always did?”

Arin rolled his eyes at him. “Let’s just get going.”

Dan shrugged and started walking. Arin followed him. It was quiet and awkward. The older sighed slightly. “Listen, Arin…”

The younger looked at Dan before looking at his feet again. “Is this gonna be about college again?”

“Arin—“, Dan started but stopped. “I don’t even know if they would take me at Juilliard, Arin. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?”

“Seriously? Dan, look at yourself,” Arin said, raising an eyebrow at him. “Can you even comprehend how talented and smart you are? You’ll definitely be accepted.”

Dan sighed. “I’m not that great.”

“Yes, you are.”

Dan’s heart ached so much, he felt the need to cry. He didn’t, but he wanted to. He really wasn’t that good of a person, but Arin believed he was, so… wasn’t that enough? When a person like Arin could think this? Something inside him made him reach out and take Arin’s hand. The younger jumped, but soon relaxed. “Why are you like this?” The taller asked pulling his friend’s hand towards his lips. He kissed it for a second and then let go.

Arin’s whole face was red and Dan couldn’t help but to grin at how cute he was. “What am I like?”

“Never mind,” Dan said, grinning at nothing in particular.

They didn’t speak again until they reached Arin’s house.

“Thanks for… bringing me home, I guess,” the shorter guy said, glancing up at his friend.

The older just smiled warmly. “No problem at all. Say hi to Maurette will you?”

Arin nodded and when Dan turned to walk away, he grabbed him by the wrist to pull him down to him, planting a kiss on his cheek. “See you tomorrow, Dan.”

Then he was gone and Danny was left alone, staring at the door in front of him. The spot on his cheeks where Arin’s lips have been was still hot and seemed to warm his whole body.

Needless to say, he went home grinning, humming a happy song, not knowing that Arin was watching from his window, a grin, matching his friend’s, visibly on his face.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit, I updated.
> 
> It's a really short chapter though, sorry, but I needed to get something out, or I'd be stuck forever and this would land in the trash. So... I apologize. I hope I can get the next chapter out faster, but I'm just slow as shit.
> 
> anyways.... ENJOY! PLEASE!

That night, Arin lay awake in his bed. He didn’t really know what came over him when he kissed Dan on the cheek, but it felt good and it felt right and Dan didn’t seem to be disgusted with him. Actually, he seemed quite… happy?

Arin couldn’t be more proud. He actually had the balls to kiss Dan. Maybe… Maybe there was a future for them both. Maybe Danny liked Arin back. Maybe they could be together?

But how long would that last? Dan would be going to New York next summer… That couldn’t work out. Also, what would their parents say? They grew up like brothers, then parted ways and hated each other and suddenly they were dating? What?

A loud sigh came from the junior. He didn’t even want to think about how people would be fucking with them. That was… if Dan _really_ felt something for Arin… and how likely was that?

Dan Avidan was the straightest man Arin has ever known. He was _the_ ladies’ man, every girl wanted him and he… he basically wanted every girl.

 _But bisexuality exist_ , his brain told him and Arin groaned. Of course it existed, but how often? And wouldn’t that mean that he should be interest in boys, too, then? He never seemed to be. At least, he never talked about boys when they were younger, but already old enough to not find girls _just_ annoying.

Just wishful thinking…

* * *

 

He thought it would be awkward. Facing Dan again, that is. But as soon as Arin saw him, his mouth just turned into a smile, all by itself. And once the older locked eyes with his childhood friend, his face seemed to just light up as well.

And Suzy noticed that.

They all stood in a circle (the one that was small before but is now a little bigger with both Dan and Brian in it) and talked about how it was _finally_ Friday, when Suzy grabbed Arin’s arm and pulled him away. He made sounds of refusal and discomfort, but his best friend did not stop until they stood almost 20 meters away from the others.

“What is your deal?” Arin asked, ripping his hand away from her.

She just glared at him and he jumped. She usually didn’t look at him like that. “You tell me!” When Arin didn’t find an answer, Suzy rolled her eyes before speaking again: “You basically just undressed Dan with your eyes, in front of us, so you fucking tell me since when you had a crush on Dan fucking Avidan!”

Arin almost punched her as he reached forward to cover her mouth. Yes, they maybe stood far away from Dan himself, so he wouldn’t hear, but Suzy was still not quiet about it and there were other people passing them.

Suzy batted his hand away and went back to glaring. And she just waited. Waited for an answer.

The animator took a deep breath and shook his head. “Basically since always.” Suzy’s eyes went wide. “I mean… I realized I had a crush on him when I was, like… 10? Actually, 9 years, 11 months and like 3 weeks old.” He shrugged. “I remember that day well.”

“You _have_ to tell me,” she said, grabbing one of his hands in hers and holding onto it. “Did you ever kiss him?”

And again, Arin pulled his hand away, hiding the blush creeping up on him. “No… just on the cheek… yesterday.”

She made a sound that was definitely not human and tried to grab his arm again, but Arin was faster and took a few steps back. “You did?! Oh my god, please just date, you two!”

“You’re impossible,” he said, as he made his way back to his friends. Dan looked at him immediately and Arin’s cheeks caught on fire. “We’re back,” he said, stupidly. Everyone could see that they were.

Ross raised an eyebrow at him. “What was that about?”

Arin shrugged as Suzy pushed herself into the circle, glaring at her best friend. Again.

Dan looked between Arin and Suzy and frowned. Arin noticed how Brian shot his best friend a look and the Jew shoved the other away gently. “You okay, Arin?” Brian asked and everyone stared at him.

“I’m… yes… thanks for asking though…” Arin muttered and blushed a little. “Listen, can we get in… please?”

Danny’s eyes were still on him and the younger of the two found himself fidgeting under his stare. “Yeah, you’re right. Class starts soon anyway,” he said, eyes still not leaving Arin’s face.

As they each went for their class, Dan started to fall behind, unnoticed by anyone but Arin, apparently. He bit his lip before deciding to fall behind as well to talk to Dan. Suzy definitely noticed, but she didn’t say anything and just shook her head.

“Suzy, huh?”

Arin looked at Dan, sighing. “Yeah, she’s a handful.”

The older shook his head. “But you like her nonetheless.”

“Well… yeah, I mean… I love her.”

“Oh.”

It was silent between the two before Dan started to talk again. “Well, I’m happy for you two.”

That’s when it clicked in Arin’s head. “Wait—no!”

With a raised eyebrow, Dan stared down at him. “No?”

“We’re not… dating. She’s like a sister to me, we’re… no.”

“Oh…” he said once again and suddenly his eyes widened. “Oh! I see! Phew!” He stopped for a solid minute and Arin felt himself blushing. _What is ‘phew’ supposed to mean?_ “I mean… not… not that I’m… you… goddammit Arin, I have to go to class, sorry. See you at lunch, yeah?”

Arin nodded and Dan took off with Brian, almost fleeing the scene. Suzy raised her eyebrow at him while Barry frowned. “What’s with him?”

Yeah, Arin could just ask himself the same thing.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOOH Y'ALL THOUGHT THIS STORY WAS DEAD (me too, to be completely honest)  
> BUT NUH-UH HAVE AN OVERDUE, SHORT CHAPTER YAY

“Seriously, if you wanna fuck him, just tell him.”

Dan glared at Brian as he put down his pencil. He wasn’t copying anything that was displayed on the blackboard anyways. “Stop that. You know it’s not like that.”

The older man rolled his eyes. “Fine then, if you wanna kiss him and hold his hand and do gay shit with him, then fucking tell him.”

“I fucking hate you, man,” the Jew proclaimed, hiding his face in his hands, hating the blush that crept up on his face. “Even if he’d like me in that way, with all the fucking girls that want to get into my pants, I couldn’t even flirt with him.”

Brian pursed his lips. “Ever thought about… like, dating a girl you don’t like and who doesn’t like you, just to… you know…” He shrugged. “A fake relationship.”

Dan just stared at him. “A fake relationship?” He thought about it for a second. “I mean… even… even if I said that would be a good idea… Whom could I ask?”

A grin spread on the older man’s face.

 

“You want me to do _what_?!”

Dan took a step back, raising his hands in surrender.

The girl in front of him huffed loudly, shaking her brown locks at him. “Like, I don’t care what girl is chasing you now, you can’t just ask me to fake-date you.”

“Kati, please,” Dan asked, whining a little. “It’s not even a girl…”

“Not even a…” Kati’s eyes went big as a smile spread on her face. “You actually have a thing for another guy?! Oh my god, Danny-boy, I always knew you’d want to join me on the other side.”

The Jew couldn’t help but roll his eyes at her. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. I’d like to make… a move on him, but I have so many girls around me, I… You get it, right?”

She sighed at that, massaging her forehead. “Dude, I’d really like to help you, but… did you forget about my girlfriend? I’m literally in a relationship right now.”

“Fine, let me talk to Mel. She’ll understand.”

“Oh my god, Dan. Who is that guy, how can he be so special that Leigh Daniel Avidan would go gay for him and pull his best friend into it as well?”

Dan grimaced. “I’m not gay, Kati.” He didn’t really know what to label himself, but he wasn’t gay. Girls were still goddamn hot and amazing to him.

His friend rolled her eyes. “Who is it, Dan?”

He knew he had to tell sooner or later, but somehow he was scared of saying it out loud. Once he said it, he wouldn’t be able to take it back again. “Arin…”

“No. Fucking. Way.” Kati brought her hands to her face before squealing. That was _so_ not like her. “You two are, like, my main OTP.”

“I hate you.”

Kati grinned. “I know you do. But, okay, if it’s for Arin, I’ll talk to Mel about it. We’re both not out yet anyways, so it should do no damage…”

With that, the older of the two reached out to wrap his arms around the smaller female. “Thank you so much!”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.”

 

Lunch came sooner than Dan would’ve wished for. Yes, he wanted to see Arin again, but he didn’t really want him to ask questions… Or Suzy, for that matter.

As Brian and Danny sat down at the table, Ross looked up. “Hey, are you two alright? You just left this morning, it was pretty weird.”

The Jew in question rolled his eyes, but he noticed Arin staring at him. Avoiding his eyes, he answered: “We’re fine, thank you for your concern, O’Donovan.”

“Stop calling me that,” the Australian said, sighing loudly. “My name is Ross. I’m more than my last name, Dan.”

That made the older of the two frown. He wasn’t wrong. He shouldn’t be treating him like this. Sure, Dan didn’t like Ross very much, but… he was supposed to make friends with him, wasn’t he? Wasn’t that the deal he had made with Arin? “Yeah, you’re right. I’m sorry, Ross.”

Ross then grinned at him and for a moment, Danny felt like he could actually come to like the guy. Maybe.

“Dan,” Arin said and Dan couldn’t help but look at him. “Are you sure you are okay?”

The older of the two nodded, looking away. “I talked to Kati about it. I’m better now.”

Barry raised an eyebrow at that. “Kati? Who’s Kati?”

Brian eyed Dan and the latter nodded. “Dan’s girlfriend,” he then said, as a matter of fact and Dan eyed Arin’s reaction carefully. And that reaction broke his heart.

The younger’s eyes found the ground, his face got pale and Dan felt the need to reach out for the younger male. But he kept his hands for himself. Not right now.

“Kati Schwarz?” Suzy asked, with a raised eyebrow.

Dan looked at her surprised. “Uhm… yeah. You know her?”

The look Suzy gave him made him fidget in his seat. Did she know he was lying? No, she couldn’t. Kati wasn’t out yet, no one knew-- “Yeah, pretty well, actually.”

 _Fuck_.

 

The rest of lunch was pretty quiet. And awkward. So it was no wonder, that once the bell rang, everyone tried to escape as fast as possible. Dan wanted to do that as well. But there was suddenly a hand on his wrist, pulling him away and Dan didn’t have to check to know, whose hand it was.

Suzy was glaring at him once they reached the school’s rooftop. “Okay, explain it to me, Avidan.”

“Explain what?” Dan tried, knowing, that it would get him nowhere. Suzy was a smart girl, this shit wouldn’t work on her.

She groaned loudly, as she crossed her arms above her chest. “How you’re dating Kati if she’s not even interested in guys and has a girlfriend. I am so curious.”

Dan gulped. So she did know. “H-how do you even know that? She told me she didn’t come out to anyone but me and Brian yet—“

The dark haired girl shrugged. “I caught them making out in a classroom once. She explained it to me and begged not to tell anyone. Of course I didn’t. But that is irrelevant now. Can you tell me, why you just lied to us—to _Arin_ like this? I thought you had a thing for him, I don’t understand.”

He knew he was blushing, he just _knew_ it. “I don’t—why do you think I like him?”

“Dan. It’s obvious, okay? Just stop and tell me your motives.”

The older of the two sighed and ruffled his hair. “Okay, listen. I really… really like Arin. And yes, maybe I want to… approach him about this, but Jesus, Suzy. Have you seen how many girls have a crush on me?” He saw her raising an eyebrow and he shook his head. “No, it’s not like that, I am really not interested in most of them. The thing is just… we wouldn’t be able to… date… in silence. If—you know, if Arin even _was_ interested in me, I know he likes guys, but… Anyway! People would look at us weirdly, wherever we went. I don’t want the relationship to be like this…”

Suzy looked at him for a long time before she let out a sigh. “So you have a fake relationship with a gay girl so you can have a gay relationship with a guy that stays unnoticed? That’s not gonna work, Dan. I think we both know this.”

“I know, I know, long-term, this is no solution. But please, let me keep this up until I know what to do about this whole thing.”

His friend kept looking at him before she sighed and nodded. “Alright.” She was about to leave the roof, when she came to a halt next to Dan. “Just know that you’re hurting him with this.”

Once the door behind him closed, Dan groaned loudly, hitting his head with his fists. This all wasn’t supposed to be so complicated! This would drive him insane, sooner or later.

But something kept him going: Knowing that Arin was worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so incredibly sorry, y'all have no idea. The last time I updated this story was May 2016. That's more than a damn year ago. I'm hopeless.  
> I hope you all can forgive me. I will try to write more, I promise. ;;;; I'M SORRY I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god please don't kill me, I tried.

Arin stood in front of the school, waiting for Suzy to finish her cleaning duty. He took a deep breath before exhaling slowly. His heart ached horribly. What was happening? Did he read the signs wrong? Did he hope for too much?

 _Of course I did_ , he thought, staring at the pavement. _Someone like Dan? Liking me? Right, that was a possibility, don’t be ridiculous._

He was so deep in thoughts, that he didn’t realize a person coming to a stand next to him. When Arin raised his head, he glanced to his right and took a double take. There, next to him, wasn’t standing his best friend, but the guy who basically _just_ broke his heart.

Dan looked at him and sighed. “Suzy said you should go on without her, she had to hurry home, something about her sister, I think…”

Arin turned to him immediately, racking his brain. “What? Did she way which one? Jean or Ginger?”

The other male seemed taken aback by the worry in the younger’s eyes before shaking his head. “I don’t know, she didn’t say… She has two sisters?”

“And three brothers,” he answers, sighing slightly. Only then did he remember who was standing next to him, talking to him. “Anyway… thanks for telling me. I’ll take off now.”

He managed to take three steps, then Dan was by his side again. “I’ll walk you home.”

 _God, please, no_ , Arin thought, squeezing his eyes shut. “No, thank you. I’d rather be alone for a while.”

“Arin… Let me explain.”

The younger stopped in his tracks to look at his childhood friend. “Explain? Explain what? You don’t owe me an explanation. You don’t owe me anything. Just… Just leave me alone, okay?”

“No,” Dan said, folding his hands over his chest. “I _want_ to explain this to you. I don’t feel like I owe that to you, I just… I need to tell you.”

Arin groaned before looking at Dan. “Fine. Spill the beans.”

The older of the two took a deep breath. “Okay. Be honest. Do you… do you like me?”

Confusion and anxiety quickly took over. _Like? As in friendship-like? Or as in I-want-to-fall-asleep-next-to-you-every-night-like?_ The blonde-streaked boy just stuttered, not able to form any words.

Dan noticed and took a step closer, putting his hands on the shorter male’s shoulders lightly and getting him to look at him. “Chill, Arin. I don’t need an answer if you don’t want to give me one. But I… You still like guys, right? I remember that you had this crush on… uh, what was his name? Jon?”

Arin then snapped out of it, taking a step back. “What, you think I just change my sexuality how I like? If that was a possibility, believe me, I wouldn’t be gay. Do you think it’s cool being like this? Do you think I enjoy people bullying me left and right because I’m not _normal_?”

“That’s _not_ what I was going for, Arin!” Dan took another step towards Arin and sighed. “I’m gonna be completely honest with you here, okay? Don’t hate me for that, okay?” The younger couldn’t possibly promise something like this, but he still nodded. “Okay. I noticed that there are a lot of things between us left unsaid. I noticed your gazes towards me, I noticed the little touches you would initiate and I noticed how I actually _love_ all this. I enjoy having you close, I enjoy touching your hand, your arm, anything really. I love having you close and I feel amazing whenever I have the chance to spend time with you and I really hoped—still do, that you feel the same way. But there is literally no reason for you to actually like me, so I’ll just have to gun it and ask you… Do you think that there could be something between us?”

Five seconds passed, then ten, then twenty. By the time Arin’s brain recovered from the sudden confession, a whole minute has passed. _Wait, what now?_ “You… You have a girlfriend,” was all the younger could say by the end of the silence.

Dan groaned, pulling his hair. “I don’t have a girlfriend.”

“But—Kati—“

“Kati is not my girlfriend. I like Kati, she’s one of my closest friends, but we’re not dating. Well, not really. She’s kinda like an alibi girlfriend. So I could, you know… ask you out.”

Finally Arin found the courage to look into Danny’s eyes, trying to find the lie, the mocking. But none of these things he found, only sincerity and maybe a little bit of fear. “Wait… You want to ask me out? Leigh Daniel Avidan, straightest dude on the fucking planet wants to ask me, little, stupid Arin Joseph Hanson out? Are you fucking with me?”

Once again, Dan groaned in desperation. “Fucking hell, Arin. Just answer ‘no’ if you’re so disgusted by it, no need to fucking make a whole drama out of it. No, I’m not fucking with you. Yes, the apparently not so straight dude Dan Avidan is asking the gorgeous, cute guy Arin Hanson out. That’s how it is. And he was rejected it seems.”

They stood still for a few seconds, then Dan started walking a few meters before coming to a stop, turning around and giving the younger of the two and expectant look. Arin just looked at him confused and Dan sighed. “I said I’d walk you home, Hanson. So come on.”

Without further a-do, Arin followed Dan quietly. They made it to Arin’s house in complete silence. Neither of them really spoke a word to the other until they both stood in front of the Hanson’s door. “Thank you for walking me home, Dan.”

“Don’t mention it. Take care, Arin. See you tomorrow.” Dan was about to turn around and leave when a hand on his wrist stopped him. He turned around to look at Arin questioningly, who stared at the ground. “Arin?”

The one in question took a deep breath before looking up at the other male, meeting his eyes. “You… you were not rejected.”

The older frowned, turning to the other fully again, taking a step closer. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t—“ Arin said, coming to a stop and running his hands through his hair. “You really surprised me today, you know? How could you just say something like this, expecting me to be thinking clearly and logically, I mean, here I am, having had a crush on you since I was ten and you think it’s cool to just… fucking… goddammit Dan.”

 Suddenly there were hands cupping his cheeks and Arin and Dan’s eyes met again, the taller one’s sparkling. “Arin, do you like me?”

A gentle smile crossed Arin’s face as he nodded his head. “Yes, I like you, Dan. I really like you.”

And in a swift move, Dan lounged forward, his lips meeting his former best friends’. The kiss was short and innocent, but it held so many emotions, Arin couldn’t help but grab the elder’s shirt for support.

When the two of them pulled away, Dan grinned in a way that Arin has never seen before. “Me too,” he said after a few seconds, eyes still sparkling like stars. “I like you, Arin Hanson. Very much.”

Arin couldn’t suppress a little giggle and Dan chuckled at him in return. They shared a few more pecks before Dan stepped away, taking the younger’s hands into his, still smiling. “I’ll be going now. Remember, Arin Hanson, you are now mine. And I am now yours, okay? No flirting with anyone anymore.”

The younger rolled his eyes jokingly and nodded. “And vice versa!”

A last peck was shared, then Dan stepped away, waving to Arin until he was out of sight. The younger of the two immediately leaned against his front door, breathing heavily. He touched his face, which felt extremely hot and he couldn’t help but squeal loudly, before opening the door and running into his room.

Who would’ve thought that this day would actually end up like this?


End file.
